Boyds, Md. - The time has come to an end for the Barons 7's season sojourn through the spring season of 2024. It didn't end the way they had hoped for but at the same time, it didn't mark the season as a disappointment either. After taking a hiatus last spring, the Barons started out strongly but also had to overcome several season ending injuries that tested their mettle down the stretch. Led by seniors, Luke Hall, Vince Prezzia, Andrew Normandin, John Thibault, and Anthony Chipps (injured) the boys of the green and gold provided plenty of action and excitement on the pitch. Several newcomers to 7's such as Ben Baska, Jacob Leerkes, Matt Orsay, Sebastian Bise, Tanner Harris, Sam Chipps, Chris Leon and Chris Urbina helped buoy the team throughout the spring season. Jorge Cebreros rejoined the squad after playing 7's previously in 2022, providing some experience in practices and matches. They started out well, finishing runners up at the Pitt tourney to DII 7's powerhouse IUP, who finished 3rd nationally over the Championship weekend. They also registered a win against Slippery Rock, who won Small College National 7's championship over the weekend. The Barons played in a friendly 7's tourney at Clarion and came away with a 3-1 record and a 3rd place finish. They traveled to Columbus, OH and came tantalizing close to a win over Christendom in the finals, in a heartbreaking fashion, getting nipped at the buzzer, which had a hand in Franciscan receiving both an at large bid and a low seed. They finished 3-1 however, and managed to come close to winning with only 7 players. They traveled to IUP to participate in the Pittsburgh 7's, which was an open qualifier for small college teams. Again, they traveled lightly with only 8 players. They lost a starter for the year after this one, and finished 2-2, losing to Richmond and forfeiting to Slippery Rock, both of whom qualified for Nationals. Next up was the ARU 7's championship, and the Barons last chance at winning a qualifier or playing well enough to get an at-large bid. They played well enough to get an at-large bid, but not well enough to win the qualifier as they fell to Slippery Rock in the semifinals.

Upon finding out that they qualified for Nationals, the Barons were seeded #7 in the East bracket and pitted against #2 Endicott, who only lost once all spring, and was considered a top 3 favorite to win the championship. The team embarked on the trip to Boyds, Maryland, about 15 minutes outside of DC, and arrived to the practice fields for a one hour warmup session. Friday morning, the Barons geared up for a clash with Endicott. The team spoke about not thinking too much and staying focused throughout the match. Because it was a knockout round, every team in the first round was tense and feeling pressure. The teams that won, were the teams that limited their mistakes and controlled the ball. The Barons did neither as they let a few opportunities slip through their fingers. After a disastrous first half that saw them losing 19-0 and only having possession of the ball for minimal minutes, they were able to right themselves in the second half and scored a few tries, but it was too little too late, and they dropped the match 24-14. The frustrating thing about the match was that if they had played the first match the same as the did the second half, the outcome would have been different. With that being said, the Barons were knocked out of the Championship bracket and relegated to the Bowl Bracket-which consisted of teams that lost in the first round. Their next opponent would be Wesleyan and they dispatched them with a 34-7 win, and moved into the Bowl Semifinals against Denver University. In this third match of the day, the Barons came away with another strong game, winning 20-12 and getting a spot in the Bowl finals to be played on Saturday. While the boys were extremely disappointed with losing the opportunity to play for a National Championship, they knew that they didn't want the season to end on a bad note and they wanted to just play with each other one last time and have fun. On Saturday, they took on Loyola MD in the finals to determine who would win the Bowl Championship. The Barons played stellar defense and kept Loyola from gaining any ground. The Barons would win 15-7, in a match that wasn't as close as the score indicated. They finished the weekend going 3-1, with the exception of a bad half, making it to the National finals would not have been out of the question. The Barons showed resiliency, dignity and passion with their efforts over the weekend, and they should be applauded for their successful season. Seniors John Thibault, Vincent Prezzia, Anthony Chipps, Luke Hall, and Andrew Normandin will say farewell to the Franciscan Barons rugby program closing their careers with an impressive 3-year span of postseason success unmatched in Barons history, with three trips to Regionals (Sweet 16) and three trips to 7's Nationals. These players will be extremely missed and the leadership that they provided will be impossible to replace. The Baron ruggers will return for the Fall 2024 season with a much different roster than the last 3 years and will look to retool their game but keep the same Barons success!

Friday April 26th Endicott 24 Franciscan 14

With the knockout stage happening right from the get-go, the Barons started out well. They created a turnover off the opening kick with a scrum near the 10-meter line and a chance to jump on Endicott early in the match. A questionable offside tackle by Endicott that wasn't called, enabled them to get a turnover and reverse their misfortune. It was all they needed to shake their nerves as they raced out to a 19-0 lead with that momentum. Franciscan helped them to maintain that momentum with untimely drops and errors that did nothing to change the moment for them. After a disastrous first half that saw them only having possession of the ball for a few minutes, they had their hands full. At the start of the half, another dropped ball by the Barons led to a try for Endicott as they lead 24-0 with 6 minutes left. The Barons would then dominate the 2nd half and control play for the next 6 minutes, while Endicott played to let time run out. The Barons scored twice and almost scored again at the end. But time ran out, and so did the opportunity. Liam Phelan received a pass from Orsay and stiffed armed two defenders and scooted 60 yards to dot down a try and Prezzia made the conversion for a 24-7 score. Then they created a turnover and were able to score another try with Prezzia off-loading to Jacob Leerkes, who made a nice catch and was able to score a try. Prezzia made the conversion, and it was 24-14. The Barons again threatened to score but lost a turnover and the time ran out. Endicott would move on and make it to the semifinals where they lost to St. Thomas out of Minnesota. The Barons would move on to the Bowl Championship bracket in hopes of salvaging their tournament success.

Tries: Phelan; Leerkes

Assists: Prezzia; Orsay

Kick conversions made: Prezzia (2)

Friday April 26th Franciscan 34 Wesleyan 7

After the painful loss, the Barons had to quickly move on if they wanted to have a successful outing in the tournament. They started that by winning against Wesleyan, 34-7. Thibault started things off with a try and a missed conversion. Then Sebastian Bise had a long run for a score by an offload from Normandin, the conversion was missed and the score was 10-0. Wesleyan was able to capitalize on a mistake and dotted down an easy try and with the conversion made, it was 10-7. Phelan then took one to the house after an offload from Jorge Cebreros and touched it down for a 15-7 lead at the half. Baska, Phelan, and Normandin all scored tries in the half to open up the game, with Prezzia making three kick conversions. The Barons would move on to the semi-final match against Denver.

Tries: Phelan (2); Thibault; Bise; Baska; Normandin

Assists: Thibault; Normandin; Cebreros

Kick Conversions made: Prezzia (3/6)

Friday April 26th Franciscan 20 Denver 12

Franciscan kept up their winning ways, taking care of a determined team in Denver with a 20-12 win. While the score appeared to be close, the match showed how well the Barons can play when they are in top form. They dotted the funny shaped ball four times by 4 different players and three assists from three different players. The victory here earned the Barons a trip to the finals in the Bowl Championship on Saturday.

Tries: Phelan; Prezzia; Thibault; Orsay

Assists: Normandin; Prezzia; Thibault

Kick conversions made: Prezzia (0/4)

Saturday April 27th Franciscan 15 Loyola 7

The Barons faced off against Loyola for a chance to redeem themselves and grab the Bowl Championship. Franciscan once again dominated possession and played great defense to prevent Loyola from gaining any steam. Loyola did well enough to prevent the match from getting out of hand but Franciscan could've played better as they left a few opportunities on the field but this time they were few and far between. Bise started things off with a long try after three minutes of scuffling rugby from both teams. Baska then took a dazzling offload from Thibault and managed to punch it in for the score and a 10-0 lead. Loyola answered back with a try of their own and putting 7 on the board. With the score 10-7 at the break, Franciscan looked to extend their lead. After a few back and forth playing by both teams, Normandin cut back on a run and darted off, outracing the defense for a game ending try as the Barons took the win 15-7 and the hardware that came along with it. They would end their run here with a 3-1 record, and unfortunately also with the knowledge that one bad half kept them from the possibility at a National championship run.

Tries: Bise; Baska; Normandin

Assists: Thibault

Kick conversions made: Prezzia (0/3)

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